1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a FOUP (front-opening unified pod) quick-opening apparatus and, more particularly, to such FOUP opening apparatus, which is suitable for use in the loading-in interface in a wafer manufacturing process to automatically close/open the cover of a FOUP.
2. Description of Related Art
In the fabrication of wafers, wafers are put in a unified pod, and the purity of the small inside space of the unified pod is well controlled. Because the purity of the small inside space of the unified pod is well controlled, the purity of the cleaning room is less critical. This measure saves much wafer manufacturing equipment cleaning cost. However, external dust or human body dust may be carried in the manufacturing equipment when opening the cover of the unified pod, causing a contamination to wafers. Conventional FOUP opening apparatus generally has a electric motor driving a leading screw to move a gate and the cover of the FOUP in horizontal direction and in vertical direction. Nevertheless, the conventional FOUP opening apparatus needs high speed of motor to achieve a request for quickly moving the cover.
In addition, the conventional FOUP opening apparatus occupies too much space in the whole FOUP loading system to suit with the light-type FOUP loading system.
The invention has been accomplished to provide a FOUP quick-opening apparatus, which eliminates the aforesaid problem. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a FOUP quick-opening apparatus, which can be set into a light-type FOUP loading system, and utilize a power source to enable the FOUP quick-opening apparatus to accomplish open/close movement quickly.
The other object of the present invention is to provide a FOUP quick-opening apparatus"" which can reduce the stoke and the space of the gate efficiently, and increase the moving speed of the ends.
To achieve the aforesaid objects and according to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a front-opening unified pod quick-opening apparatus positioned in a front-opening unified pod loading system, when a front-opening unified pod being located on the loading system, a cover of the front-opening unified pod being secured on a gate of a backboard of the loading system such that the front-opening unified pod quick-opening apparatus moving the gate with the cover upward and downward, the front-opening unified pod quick-opening apparatus comprising:
a rail positioned vertically on the backboard;
a slide slidably mounted on the rail, providing a movement along the rail;
a short linking rod having a first end rotatably fixed on the slide to drive the slide to move along the rail;
a long rocker arm having a first end rotatably fixed on a second end of the short linking rod, and a second end rotatably fixed on a pin on the backboard; and
a power source adapted to drive the long rocker arm to rotate around the pin on the backboard;
wherein when the power source drives the long rocker arm to rotate upward round the pin on the backboard, the long rocker arm leads the short linking rod, and the short linking rod drives the slide to move upward along the rail then results in an upward rectilinear motion; and when the power source drives the long rocker arm to rotate downward round the pin on the backboard, the slide is driven to move downward along the rail then results in a downward rectilinear motion.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.